Search Results (79)

Momordica charantia L. (MC), also referred to as bitter gourd or bitter melon, is a Cucurbi taceae plant renowned for its medicinal benefits. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is employed as a frontline chemotherapeutic agent, with its antitumor activity mediated through the inhibition of DNA and RNA synthesis. However, its therapeutic efficacy is often compromised by serious adverse effects, particularly gastrointestinal inflammation. Therefore, this research examined the efficacy of the ethanolic extract of Momordica charantia fruit (EMC) in mitigating 5-FU-induced intestinal mucositis in mice. Mucositis was induced in mice by intraperitoneal administration of 5-FU at 50 mg/kg from experimental days 4 to 7, with EMC administered orally at doses of 125 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg once daily for ten consecutive days. 5-FU exposure resulted in severe intestinal injury, manifested by markedly upregulated inflammation and oxidative stress. EMC treatment significantly reversed these pathophysiological alterations, restoring mucosal architecture and function. Furthermore, EMC effectively reduced the 5-FU-induced release of inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress markers. These results demonstrate that EMC acts as a novel protective modulator of 5-FU-induced mucositis, offering substantial translational potential as an adjunctive supportive therapy in colorectal cancer management. Full article

Background/Objectives: Nutraceuticals, consisting of bioactive compounds or materials, are increasingly regarded as promising strategies for the prevention and management of diabetes. This study aimed to evaluate the antidiabetic potential of a nutraceutical formulation (Sugar Care, SC) composed of indigestible maltodextrin, pumpkin extract, and bitter melon extract, using a type 2 diabetic mouse model. Methods: A starch postprandial model in fasted normal mice was first used to assess postprandial glycemic response. Oral administration of SC at 820 and 1230 mg/kg was applied for two weeks prior to starch challenge. Subsequently, male db/db mice were randomly assigned to a diabetic control group or an SC-treated group (820 mg/kg; n = 8 per group) for four weeks. Glucose tolerance, fasting glucose and insulin levels, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), lipid profile, fructosamine, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARSs) were evaluated. Results: SC at 820 and 1230 mg/kg significantly ameliorated starch-induced postprandial hyperglycemia in normal mice (p < 0.05). In db/db mice, four-week administration of SC significantly improved glucose tolerance and reduced fasting hyperinsulinemia and HOMA-IR values (p < 0.05). SC treatment also significantly decreased plasma fructosamine and TBARS levels, as well as total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations (p < 0.05). Conclusions: These findings provide preclinical evidence that this multi-component nutraceutical formulation improves glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia in a genetic model of type 2 diabetes. Further mechanistic and translational studies are warranted. Full article

Background/Objectives: Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae) (MC), commonly known as bitter melon, is a prominent therapeutic and edible species deeply rooted in traditional medicine for the management of diverse metabolic and infectious pathologies. Increasing evidence suggests that MC is a significant source of antiviral compounds that could act against many different types of viruses in humans. This narrative review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the antiviral properties of MC, with a focus on molecular mechanisms and therapeutic perspectives. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across the PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases, using the keywords “Momordica charantia”, “bitter melon”, “antiviral” and “MAP30”. Original in vitro, in vivo, in silico and mechanistic studies were included. Results: MC harbors diverse antiviral molecules acting through conserved and virus-specific mechanisms. Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) purified from MC display potent antiviral activity by catalyzing the depurination of viral RNA and DNA, inactivating host ribosomes and blocking protein synthesis. RIPs, especially MAP30, are among the most potent natural antiviral proteins described to date. Cucurbitane-type triterpenoids and other phytochemicals from MC also show antiviral activity. Conclusions: MC emerges as a promising candidate for the prevention/treatment of viral diseases through nutraceutical, topical and pharmaceutical applications. MC extracts could represent a resource to support the immune system and provide broad-spectrum benefits against viral infections or a tool for local treatments. Moreover, MC is a valuable source of various bioactive compounds that, after thorough pharmacological characterization, could be further developed into specific antiviral agents. Full article

Naturally derived cosmetic enzymes from food-grade plant sources are increasingly sought after as sustainable and skin-compatible alternatives to conventional exfoliating agents; however, many existing plant proteases exhibit poor thermal stability, limiting their practical use in cosmetic formulations. In this study, a thermostable keratinolytic protease extracted from Momordica charantia (bitter melon), a widely consumed edible and medicinal plant, was characterized to overcome these limitations and evaluated for its cosmetic applicability. The enzyme demonstrated strong keratin-degrading activity and retained over 80% of its activity at 70 °C, indicating superior thermal stability compared with commonly used cosmetic enzymes. In vitro assays using RAW264.7 murine macrophages confirmed low cytotoxicity and revealed significant inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production, along with moderate elastase inhibitory activity, suggesting additional skin-beneficial properties. To assess practical exfoliating efficacy and skin compatibility, a four-week in-use test was conducted with 11 healthy adult volunteers using a formulation containing the M. charantia-derived enzyme. Significant reductions in desquamation index and improvements in skin smoothness (SEsm), measured using a Visioscan^® VC20 Plus, and hydration, assessed with a Corneometer^® CM825, were observed (p < 0.001), with no adverse effects reported. Collectively, these findings indicate that this naturally sourced, plant-derived keratinase offers a thermally stable and effective enzymatic exfoliation strategy, supporting its potential use as a sustainable cosmetic bioactive ingredient. Full article

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19, has resulted in widespread global infection and millions of deaths. Viral entry is initiated by the interaction between the viral spike (S) protein and the host cell receptor ACE2, followed by TMPRSS2-mediated proteolytic activation that facilitates membrane fusion. Bitter melon (Momordica charantia L., MC), a traditional medicinal and edible plant widely used in tropical Asia, possesses notable anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, and hypoglycemic properties. In this study, the ethanol extract of bitter melon (EMC) markedly downregulated ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression in both in vitro and in vivo models without inducing cytotoxicity. Furthermore, phytochemicals isolated from EMC—including p-coumaric acid, rutin, and quercetin—exhibited comparable inhibitory effects. These results indicate that EMC and its bioactive constituents may interfere with SARS-CoV-2 entry by modulating the ACE2/TMPRSS2 axis, highlighting their potential as natural adjuncts for COVID-19 prevention or management. Full article

Background/Objectives: Aromatase inhibitors (AIs)—specifically, letrozole, anastrozole and exemestane—represent the current gold standard for patients with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer (ER + BC). This narrative review highlights potential interactions between nutrients and AIs, elucidating their molecular mechanisms involved. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases to identify scientific publications and elucidate recommended dietary regimes for ER + BC patients treated with AIs. Results: Certain bioactive substances found in licorice, rosemary, juniper, cannabis, and citrus fruits exhibit intrinsic aromatase-inhibiting effects. Additionally, other nutrients and compounds—including honey, ginger, turmeric, sweet potatoes, pomegranates, bitter melon, dark sweet cherries, resveratrol, and vitamins D and C—contribute to treatment outcomes through their demonstrated antiproliferative properties. Certain natural compounds, such as soy, cow’s milk, sesame seeds, and sesame oil, require caution due to their potential estrogen-like effects which could diminish the anti-estrogenic efficacy of AIs. Conclusions: These considerations hold significant weight in this context, as the management of oncological patients—particularly women with ER + BC—requires an integrated perspective. Antineoplastic treatment must be supported by appropriate nutrition to enhance antitumor efficacy and improve the patient’s quality of life. The data presented herein are derived from in vitro, in silico, and animal model studies and await validation in large patient cohorts. Nevertheless, these findings pave the way for future research to elucidate these molecular phenomena in humans and to establish clinically significant conclusions for ER + BC patients. Full article

We utilized silver nanoparticles synthesized from bitter melon (Momordica charantia) extracts for testing against the common agricultural pathogen Escherichia coli. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized and confirmed as silver nanoparticles by using ultraviolet spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy analysis. The results show that AgNPs were effective against E. coli ATCC25922 strain. The AgNPs had an increased potency against the E. coli strain in optimum culture media compared to silver ions alone. AgNP-treated cultures achieved a kill percentage of 100% in less incubation time and at a lower dosage than those treated with silver ions alone. The powder form of the AgNPs also showed remarkable potency against E. coli in solution. Based on these findings, the current method is suitable for the industrial-scale production of AgNPs from a commonly available edible plant with known medicinal benefits in the fight against foodborne pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant strains. Full article

Bitter melon, an important medicinal and edible economic crop, is often threatened by diseases such as downy mildew, powdery mildew, viral diseases, anthracnose, and blight during its growth. Efficient and accurate disease detection is of significant importance for achieving sustainable disease management in bitter melon cultivation. To address the issues of weak generalization ability and high computational demands in existing deep learning models in complex field environments, this study proposes an improved lightweight YOLOv8-LSW model. The model incorporates the inverted bottleneck structure of LeYOLO-small to design the backbone network, utilizing depthwise separable convolutions and cross-stage feature reuse modules to achieve lightweight design, reducing the number of parameters while enhancing multi-scale feature extraction capabilities. It also integrates the ShuffleAttention mechanism, strengthening the feature response in lesion areas through channel shuffling and spatial attention dual pathways. Finally, WIoUv3 replaces the original loss function, optimizing lesion boundary regression based on a dynamic focusing mechanism. The results show that YOLOv8-LSW achieves a precision of 95.3%, recall of 94.3%, mAP50 of 98.1%, mAP50-95h of 95.6%, and F1-score of 94.80%, which represent improvements of 2.2%, 2.7%, 1.2%, 2.2%, and 2.46%, respectively, compared to the original YOLOv8n. The effectiveness of the improvements was verified through heatmap analysis and ablation experiments. The number of parameters and GFLOPS were reduced by 20.58% and 20.29%, respectively, with an FPS of 341.58. Comparison tests with various mainstream deep learning models also demonstrated that YOLO-LSW performs well in the bitter melon disease detection task. This research provides a technical solution with both lightweight design and strong generalization ability for real-time detection of bitter melon diseases in complex environments, which holds significant application value in promoting precision disease control in smart agriculture. Full article

This study reports for the first time parameters and consumer preferences about juice prepared from North American pawpaw fruit (Asimina triloba). Enzymatic extraction using a commercial preparation of pectinases, hemicellulases, and beta-glucanases (Pectinex^® Ultra SP-L) significantly increased juice yield compared to non-enzyme extraction, but enzyme concentration (0.05% vs. 0.1%) and acidification method (citric vs. tartaric acid) showed no significant differences. Sensory panelists found no significant differences between citric and tartaric acid acidified juices, or between juices prepared from fresh pawpaw and pawpaw stored refrigerated for 14 days. Blending pawpaw juice with fruit juices improved overall acceptability compared to blending with fruit purees. Consumer testing revealed no overall preference among five juice formulations (100% pawpaw juice, sweetened pawpaw juice, pawpaw juice with the addition of 10% apple, orange, or pineapple juice). Consumers highlighted the complex flavor profile of pawpaw, with sweet and bitter tastes, and melon, papaya, and pear flavors being most frequently identified. Sweetening the juice altered the flavor profile, masking sourness and certain flavors. Based on this preliminary study, challenges and opportunities were identified for the development of a pawpaw-based juice. Full article

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) has been extensively investigated for its potential in cancer treatment. In this work, we provide an overview of in vitro and animal studies exploring its bioactive compounds, extracts, extracellular vesicles, fusion proteins, co-treatment with conventional pharmaceuticals, and utilization of nanoparticles, demonstrating promising cytotoxic and apoptotic effects across various cancer cell lines. A comprehensive search of online databases, e.g., PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and Google Scholar was performed in the last decade, utilizing relevant keywords and applying several inclusion and exclusion criteria. The plant and its derivatives exhibit significant antiproliferative properties and modulate key signaling pathways. Additionally, animal studies have validated its antitumor potential, highlighting its ability to suppress tumor growth, modulate immune responses, and enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy in vivo. Although several compounds of the plant have been investigated, the insights regarding their mechanisms of action remain limited. Also, plant-derived extracellular vesicles show promise as natural carriers for targeted drug delivery, while fusion proteins improve cellular uptake and apoptosis induction. Finally, the integration of bitter melon components into nanomedicine underscores their potential for advanced therapeutic applications. Collectively, these findings reinforce the growing interest in utilizing bitter melon-derived compounds for cancer treatment and signal the need for further research to optimize their clinical translation. Full article

The Zeugodacus cucurbitae and Bactrocera dorsalis are economically significant pests that share similar habitats and host plants, leading to intense interspecific competition. To elucidate their competitive interactions, this study investigated the oviposition competition behavior of mixed laboratory populations on five common host plants: pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata), cucumber (Cucumis sativus), winter melon (Benincasa hispida), bitter melon (Momordica charantia) and guava (Psidium guajava). The results exhibited that among the five hosts tested, B. dorsalis exhibited a significant competitive advantage in oviposition on pumpkin and bitter melon, with its fecundity greater than that of Z. cucurbitae across all ratios. Conversely, Z. cucurbitae showed a clear preference for cucumber. Except at the extreme ratio of 16:4, where B. dorsalis laid slightly more eggs than that of Z. cucurbitae, Z. cucurbitae laid more eggs at all ratios. The results can provide a reference for further investigation on the oviposition selectivity and interspecific competition between the adults of Z. cucurbitae and B. dorsalis. Full article

Bitter melon seed oil (BMSO), as a by-product of bitter gourd fruit processing, is rich in active ingredients and has unique medicinal potential. However, its solubility and dispersibility in water are poor when used directly. Therefore, this study aims to develop an eco-friendly submicron emulsion containing BMSO for intravenous injection and evaluate its safety. The BMSO submicron emulsion (BMSOSE) was prepared by high-pressure homogenization. The size, polydispersity index (PDI), ζ-potential, Turbiscan stability index (TSI), apparent viscosity, and morphology were characterized; in addition, an in vitro hemolysis test and acute toxicity test in mice were investigated in detail to evaluate the emulsion. The results demonstrated that the formulation and technological parameters of the BMSOSE were as follows: BMSO, 8% (w/w); egg yolk lecithin, 1.2% (w/w); F-68, 0.2% (w/w); pH, 5.0; homogenization pressure, 600 Pa; and number of homogenization cycle, 9. The obtained BMSOSE droplets exhibited a spherical shape with uniform size distribution with an average diameter of 221.3 nm, a PDI of 0.2, and a ζ-potential of −36 mV. There was no significant change in the fatty acid composition of BMSO and the BMSOSE. The safety tests demonstrated that the BMSOSE had no signs of hemolysis and had no toxicity to mice with LD50 > 64 mL/kg. This study provides a foundation for further development of BMSO and its preparations. Full article

Momordica balsamina Linn is a well-known African traditional herb due to its tremendous medicinal and nutritional properties. It is used worldwide for the treatment of different ailments and diseases. In the present study, the phytochemical and antioxidant activity of South African M. balsamina fruit pulp extracts was evaluated. The fruit pulp extracts were obtained by using the serial exhaustive extraction procedure using the solvents hexane, DCM, acetone, and methanol. The resulting extracts were subjected to different standard colorimetric tests for phytochemical analysis. The presence of compounds with antioxidant activity was determined using dot plot and TLC. The DPPH radical scavenging assay, hydrogen peroxide activity, and reducing power assay, coupled with linear regression, were employed to determine the quantity of antioxidants and their IC50. The results for qualitative phytochemical screening have shown that the fruit pulp contains alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, saponins, phenolic compounds, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, and steroids. All the extracts revealed the presence of antioxidant activity in both dot plot and TLC. Acetone extracts (0.279 mg/mL) showed the lowest IC50 compared to the standards gallic acid (0.4 mg/mL) and diosgenin (0.42 mg/mL). These findings confirmed that M. balsamina is very rich in phytochemical compounds and has strong antioxidant potential; therefore, it could be a potential source of drugs which in the future may serve the production of synthetically improved therapeutic agents. Full article

As a crop with significant medicinal value and nutritional components, the market demand for bitter melon continues to grow. The diversity of bitter melon shapes has a direct impact on its market acceptance and consumer preferences, making precise identification of bitter melon germplasm resources crucial for breeding work. To address the limitations of time-consuming and less accurate traditional manual identification methods, there is a need to enhance the automation and intelligence of bitter melon phenotype detection. This study developed a bitter melon phenotype detection model named CSW-YOLO. By incorporating the ConvNeXt V2 module to replace the backbone network of YOLOv8, the model’s focus on critical target features is enhanced. Additionally, the SimAM attention mechanism was introduced to compute attention weights for neurons without increasing the parameter count, further enhancing the model’s recognition accuracy. Finally, WIoUv3 was introduced as the bounding box loss function to improve the model’s convergence speed and positioning capabilities. The model was trained and tested on a bitter melon image dataset, achieving a precision of 94.6%, a recall of 80.6%, a mAP50 of 96.7%, and an F1 score of 87.04%. These results represent improvements of 8.5%, 0.4%, 11.1%, and 4% in precision, recall, mAP50, and F1 score, respectively, over the original YOLOv8 model. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the improvements was validated through heatmap analysis and ablation experiments, demonstrating that the CSW-YOLO model can more accurately focus on target features, reduce false detection rates, and enhance generalization capabilities. Comparative tests with various mainstream deep learning models also proved the superior performance of CSW-YOLO in bitter melon phenotype detection tasks. This research provides an accurate and reliable method for bitter melon phenotype identification and also offers technical support for the visual detection technologies of other agricultural products. Full article

Bitter gourd is increasingly being recognized for its value as a vegetable and medicinal use, but the molecular mechanisms of pathogen resistance remain relatively poorly understood. The serine carboxypeptidase-like (SCPL) protein family plays a key role in plant growth, pathogen defense, and so on. However, a comprehensive identification and functional characterization of the SCPL gene family has yet to be conducted in bitter melon. In this study, 32 SCPL genes were identified in bitter gourd and divided into three classes. The number of SCPL genes contained in the three clusters was 7, 7, and 18, respectively. Most SCPL gene promoters contain cis-acting elements with light, hormone, and stress responses. The RNA sequencing data showed that the expression of several SCPL genes changed significantly after pathogen infection. In particular, expression of the McSCPL4, 10, 17, 22, and 25 genes increased substantially in the resistant varieties after infection, and their expression levels were higher than those in the susceptible varieties. These results suggested that genes such as McSCPL4, 10, 17, 22, and 25 may play a significant role in conferring resistance to fungal infections. Moreover, the expression levels of the McSCPL10, 17, 22, 23, and 25 genes were likewise significantly changed after being induced by salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA). In situ hybridization showed that McSCPL22 was expressed in the vascular tissues of infected plants, which largely overlapped with the location of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Momordicae (FOM) infection and the site of hydrogen peroxide production. Our results showed that McSCPL22 may be involved in the regulation of the SA and JA pathways and enhance resistance to FOM in bitter gourd plants. This is the first study to perform SCPL gene family analysis in bitter gourd. McSCPL22 may have the potential to enhance FOM resistance in bitter gourd, and further investigation into its function is warranted. The results of this study may enhance the yield and molecular breeding of bitter gourd. Full article